A Call for Inclusiveness in the Psychoanalytic Community

Historically, the psychoanalytic profession has been populated by white analysts. That has been changing as more people of color have enrolled in analytic institutes. But more is needed for institutes to truly be inclusive. White analysts need to be more sensitive to the experience of colleagues and candidates of color. They need to be aware of the dynamic known as White privilege, and how their own White privilege may affect their interactions with people of color. Institutes need to look at their curricula and how they teach candidates to analyze. The early generations of psychoanalytic theorists including Freud worked with White patients. The theories they wrote-and that are still being taught-have led to many analysts knowing how to work with White people, but not necessarily people of color.